Potato chips are a food product that enjoys immense popularity around the world. Generally, potato chip manufacturers have two types of processes available to produce potato chips: high-capacity automated production system, and low-capacity manual production system.
A high-capacity automated production line uses numerous large machines. The machines are large so that they can process a large number of potato chips at once. Because the machinery is large, it requires a permanent building to accommodate it.
Most of the steps in such a system are automated and interconnected. An operator need only control the machines; the potato chips automatically flow from one processing step to the next, with minimal operator involvement. Such a system produces a high volume of potato chips that are packaged and ready for sale for present or future consumption. Because most of the potato chips are consumed in the future, the potato chips are packaged in a way that preserves their freshness so that they do not spoil in transit or while being stored before sale to the consumer.
A low-capacity manual production system relies on significant operator involvement. The machinery used is much smaller than that used in the high-capacity systems, and cannot produce a high volume of potato chips.
Each system has different applications. A high-capacity system is used when a manufacturer wants to produce a high volume of potato chips that can be sold on a wholesale and retail basis, such as in grocery stores. Because the number of consumers is large, the manufacturer can sell the high volume of potato chips that the system will produce, thereby recovering the investment in the large machinery. A low capacity system takes the production system to the consumers instead of simply sending the potato chips to the consumers. The equipment is small enough to be transported, so the manufacturer can deliver the system to a particular location. Once there, it can make the potato chips and dispense them to consumers for immediate consumption.
The present invention addresses problems that neither of these systems solve. Frequently a manufacturer desires to place a high-capacity production system at a particular location, but only temporarily. Because a high-capacity production system requires installation of the components in a building, the manufacturer cannot practically set up a high capacity system on a temporary basis. Additionally, in many locations, particularly in foreign countries, it is impossible or impractical to obtain a building permit for short-term use. If a manufacturer cannot build a building, then it cannot set up a high-capacity potato chip system.